Chapter 2

Turns out Margot really is different.

For eight years, no matter what I did to Adrian, he took it. Quietly. Like a man who knew he deserved it.

Not this time.

This time, he pressed charges.

Margot walked into the NYPD precinct waving her phone like it was a press badge.

She played the video. She told them I'd kidnapped Adrian. Drugged him. Forced strangers to assault him.

"Officer, she's an attorney." She was practically jumping up and down. "She knows the law and she still did this. People like her shouldn't be allowed to practice. You have to arrest her. Now."

The cop turned to me. Calm. Tired. "Ma'am. Is any of that true?"

I shook my head.

"None of it. She's been sleeping with my husband for months. She wants me out of the way. I said no to a divorce. So they cooked this up together."

The cop's eyes slid back to Margot.

The disgust on his face was instant.

Margot panicked.

"I have video! I have a witness!"

One phone call. Ten minutes. A girl from the suite walked in, eyes down, voice shaky. She confirmed everything. Said I'd hired her. Said I'd handed out the drugs.

She even pulled the empty vial out of her purse.

Margot lit up like Christmas morning.

"Witness. Evidence. Celeste, what else you got?"

I didn't say a word.

I just started laying things on the desk.

Adrian's texts.

Adrian setting up the meet. Hotel security footage of Adrian opening the door for each girl, one by one. Receipts.

The drugs were ordered from his Amex. The suite was booked under his name. He'd booked it four times last month alone.

Every single piece pointed one way.

Adrian threw a party. Adrian's party got out of hand. Adrian tried to pin it on me.

Margot's face went red.

"These are fake. Ade would never—"

"Oh, sweetie." I pressed a hand to my chest like it hurt. "You really don't know my husband, do you? He's just like this. Honestly, you're young. Get out while you still can."

She didn't take it as advice. She took it as a slap.

She started shrieking. Forgery. Run the prints. Run the metadata. Check everything.

They did.

Nothing came back on me.

And then the girl — the "witness" — broke.

She pulled out her Venmo. Five grand from Margot two nights ago. Memo line: thx girl.

She admitted Margot paid her to lie.

Margot's face went chalk white.

"You little bitch — you were the one riding him the hardest that night—"

She lunged.

I stepped in front of the girl.

"Margot. Honey. She just did you a favor. Don't hit your own witness. That's bad manners."

Margot froze.

She looked at the girl.

She looked at me.

She looked at how close we were standing.

The lightbulb finally went on.

"…You two. You're working together."

I smiled.

She screamed at the cops for another twenty minutes. None of it mattered.

They told her to come back when she had actual evidence. Then they walked us out.

I sent the girl home in an Uber.

I'd barely turned around before Margot stormed up and slapped me across the face.

"Adrian doesn't love you, Celeste. He hasn't loved you in years. And you're still hanging on him like a leech. You have no shame."

Here's the thing about me.

Eye for an eye. Tooth for a tooth.

She wasn't done speaking before I grabbed a fistful of her hair and slapped her back. Twice. Hard.

"I'm the one with no shame? You played a sex tape at my mother's award night, sweetie. Sit with that for a second."

She should've screamed. Should've slapped me back.

Instead, she smiled.

A weird, slow, crooked smile.

"Adrian was right. You really do care about Mommy the most."

My stomach dropped.

"Margot. Listen to me." My voice came out low. "I've always said cheating's the man's fault. That's why I go after Adrian. Never you. But if you touch my mother — I swear to God, I will end both of you."

"Oh yeah?" Her smile widened. Pure poison. "And how are you gonna do that, Celeste?"

She tilted her head.

"Aren't you a little curious why Adrian didn't show up today?"

My heart slammed against my ribs.

I snatched a fistful of her hair and yanked her head back. Hard enough to make her yelp.

My phone rang.

I picked up.

And every drop of blood in my body went cold.